Mr Obama said the firm made “a mistake” after appearing to pull comedy The Interview from picture houses worldwide.

Cinema chains had faced threats of violence if the film was screened.

The movie stars Seth Rogan and James Franco as journalists on a mission to kill the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The secretive country has since been blamed for hacking Sony’s ­computers, releasing embarrassing private emails and threatening terror attacks if the film is released.

“The ­President, press and public are mistaken about what actually happened”

Michael Lynton, Sony boss

But Sony boss Mr Lynton said yesterday it was his “hope” that “anyone who wants to see this movie will get the opportunity to do so” by releasing the movie on the internet. He said it was only pulled by cinema owners who were too scared to show it.

Mr Lynton said: “The ­President, press and public are mistaken about what actually happened. We do not own movie theatres and we cannot control what is shown.”

North Korea has denied being behind the threats, calling the allegations “slander” and warning of “grave consequences” if the US refused to join it in an ­investigation into the hacking. But the FBI said they were sure the secretive state was behind the attack and had traced the spyware used to North Korea’s capital Pyongyang.

UN diplomat for North Korea Kim Song said: “The film ­defamed the image of our country. It made a mockery of our sovereignty. We ­reject it.”